Abstract
This article will describe four discourses relating to external influences on the working conditions of educational professionals, discourses which also reflect the ways in which such professionals are perceived. The background is the development of Danish society and the Danish education system since World War II, but a great number of Western European countries, members of the OECD, have been strongly influenced by the same transnational agencies and have therefore been influenced in the same ways. As a result, the findings are also relevant for countries other than Denmark. The first discourse was constructed in the welfare state era, which lasted from World War II until the beginning of this century. In this discourse, teachers were supposed to act according to a democratic Bildung discourse. The second discourse overlapped the first in the competitive state era from 2000 onwards. In this discourse, teachers are supposed to act according to an agenda of effectiveness and accountability. The third and fourth discourses focus on learning outcomes and technologies in the marketplace: eduBusiness and data-driven digital discourses.
Highlights
Our views about professional work, professional associations, and individual professionals are formed by many factors
In the eduBusiness discourse, teachers are seen as professionals who agree to use programmes that have been approved by the local authority and who focus on national standards, basic skills, and globally accepted and measurable learning content
The development analysed in this text illustrates a number of general tendencies that seem to occur in parallel to one another: from education towards governance, from bottom-up governance towards top-down governance, and from hard governance towards soft governance
Summary
Our views about professional work, professional associations, and individual professionals are formed by many factors. In the field of education, these factors may include legislation on education and the labour market, Danish and international policy and education discourses and regulations, and the social technologies produced and implemented on the international, national, and local levels.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
